Be icy not nicey, Lew
Wigan Athletic v Nottingham Forest
SABRI LAMOUCHI says Lewis Grabban can be the Championship’s deadliest striker in – if he stops being Mr Nice Guy.
The Nottingham Forest boss says the 31-year-old needs “to be more of a killer” as the Tricky Trees seek to maintain their early-season promise at the DW Stadium.
Forest have not been beaten since the opening day and Grabban’s five goals so far have been a major factor in that run.
However, Lamouchi (below) thinks the forward will improve on his tally if he is more instinctive in the box.
He said: “For me, he’s a fantastic striker – but he needs to be more of a killer inside the box. He works hard. I’m pleased with his attitude in the dressing room, the way he works for the team.
“He’s always making good runs, he’s normally where the ball comes down. He can score two goals in three chances.
“He doesn’t create a lot, but he scores a lot. Against Fulham, two chances, two goals. He just needs to trust himself more inside the box to make the difference.
“With his work, he deserves to score more goals.
“But I cannot teach him that killer instinct – I can give him advice, ‘Don’t be so nice with your finishes’. He’s sometimes so polite.
“A long time ago, I played with a fantastic player, David Trezeguet. Outside the area, he never touched the ball more than once or twice. But inside the penalty area – one touch was enough. One chance, one goal.
“We are working with Lewis, on his finishing in different positions, one-touch, two-touch.
“I’m now asking him to be a killer, to act like a snake.
“I want a different man inside the box. If he can do this, he can be the best striker in this league – easily.”
Grabban smiled when told he was “too nice”, saying: “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
He added: “I think, with strikers, scoring goals means you’ve got that killer instinct. But you can always improve.
“We all get face-time with the manager. No one is finished improving – with that attitude with the manager – I’ll be able to get there.”
Grabban sees big similarities between Forest and Aston Villa and Bournemouth, two other Premier League-chasing sides he was involved with.
He said: “It’s a good time. The manager has come in. He knows exactly what he’s doing and he gets the players to want to do it for him. It’s mixing together well.”